Beyond the Game: Next Gen Brand Insights

Athletes Are Becoming Media Companies

Today’s athletes have influential power like never before in today’s media ecosystem. The history and evolution of athlete marketing illustrates how the building blocks of this new paradigm came to be and athletes today are empowered to become highly profitable media companies. Michael Jordan was the ultimate “pitch man” and was handsomely rewarded by being a spokesperson for some of the most admired brands in the world. However, Michael never owned his own Intellectual property (IP), and he was at the height of his fame before the days of social media when athletes could communicate directly with their fans.

In the emerging digital age, the landscape of athlete branding and influence has undergone a paradigm shift. With the rise of social media and the power it holds, it is crucial for athletes to recognize the immense potential they have as media companies. By leveraging their status and utilizing effective tactics, athletes can unlock a world of opportunities and enjoy significant financial benefits previously unseen. Today, they have the power to create and distribute content and products directly to their fan base through social media platforms. This shift allows athletes to become media companies themselves, controlling their narratives, shaping their brands, and monetizing their influence. We have seen this explode in the traditional influencer space where Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian have launched lucrative brands on the back of their massive social following. 

Becoming a media company opens up a world of financial benefits for athletes. Now that student athletes are permitted to profit from their name, image and likeness (#NIL) they can start building value far earlier than before, and create a more significant business opportunity for their futures. Read more about how athletes are able to take advantage of their own brand power in my recent Forbes article, and tell me if you think athletes should be more involved in building and becoming media companies in their own rights. 

Fueling WNBA Growth: The Radical Change That Could Elevate the Game

It’s been a really exciting time to be a women’s sports fan, especially for women’s basketball. The WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) season has recently begun and both college and professional women's basketball has made encouraging progress over the past few years, benefiting from the tailwinds of the movement towards more gender equality in sports. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has done a phenomenal job creating marketing partnerships and public visibility for the #WNBA and has enjoyed revenue and viewership growth in the past two years. In fact, last year’s WNBA playoffs enjoyed the best TV in the past twenty years. Kudos also to Adam Silver and his predecessor, David Stern, for championing and making a significant investment in women’s sports long before it was popular.

However, I would present a more sobering viewpoint about the state of women’s basketball and advocate a dramatic change which would give the WNBA (and women’s basketball) a chance to emerge as a mainstream sport with mass appeal. At the moment the WNBA seems resolved to pursue significant growth but content to remain a highly successful niche sport. Despite recent progress and the push for gender equality the salary of WNBA players average roughly $100,000 where the average National Basketball Association (NBA) salary is around $10 Million per year. The difference is shocking and the pay disparity is greater than in any other profession. But the reason is simple and quite logical, namely that the WNBA’s audience is exponentially smaller than the NBA’s audience. The goal for the WNBA should be to at least triple its TV audience and to average over 1 Million viewers per game in the foreseeable future. That would at least get it in the ball park of major sports. That would be an audience increase of roughly 50% per year for the next 5 years. This would only be achievable through a major shift in perception of the league which would require dramatic change.

In a recent article for Forbes, I write about how I have for years been an advocate to lower the height of the rim from 10 feet to 9 feet in women’s basketball. When I was representing the great Lisa Leslie , WNBA legend, she played in the first ever WNBA game and there was quite a bit of hype leading up to it. I recall an exciting moment in the game when Lisa had a breakaway lane to the basket and tried to go up for a dunk. The fans rose to their feet in anticipation but as Lisa rose up to attempt to dunk she couldn’t quite get high enough and pinned the ball on the rim and the deflated crowd sighed in disappointment. While Lisa later did manage to become the first women to dunk in a game, I couldn’t help thinking how exciting it would have been if she had been able to pull off a monster jam in that first game.

Twenty years later, I am more convinced than ever that lowering the rim would super charge mainstream popularity for women’s basketball. Consistent with what David Stern told me, lots of WNBA players have gone on record as vehemently opposing this kind of rule change—attacking it as sexist. You may have heard Candace Parker arguing with Shaquille O’Neal about this on TNT . Diana Taurasi said it would be like putting women back in the kitchen. But the opposite is true because lowering the rim actually empowers women to level the playing field so they can perform the same athletic feats associated with the part of basketball most loved by fans. Research supports this notion, as multiple surveys have consistently shown that fans value dunks and alley-oops more than anything else in basketball. The visual spectacle and sheer athleticism displayed in these moments create a sense of awe and captivate viewers of all ages and backgrounds. This is effectively absent from the women’s game.

What do you think about the idea to lower the rim in the WNBA and allowing for more dunks and alley-oops to bolster the surging popularity that we’re seeing in women’s sports and the game of basketball? Would you like to see this change implemented?

The NCAA at a Tipping Point: How Congress Could Shape College Sports

In recent years, the issue of Name, Image, and Likeness, or #NIL rights for college student-athletes has gained significant attention. As the revenue generated by college sports continues to soar, athletes have increasingly advocated for their fair share of the profits, and have begun to see some of the payoff of these efforts in recent years. 

In my Forbes article on the topic, I talk more about how this new bill is being introduced at an interesting time when states like California are proposing legislation that would mandate that student athletes participate in the revenue generated by NCAA sports. This goes well beyond the recent Supreme Court decision in the O’Bannon case that ruled the NCAA improperly restricted student athletes from profiting from their NIL. The issue before the court in O’Bannon did not include whether the NCAA’s prohibition against “pay for play” is legally permissible. As this drama unfolds, we must keep our eye on four different forces at work: the NCAA, the State legislatures, Congress, and the Supreme Court. 

If the Supreme Court were to intervene in the context of student-athletes' rights, it would likely consider constitutional arguments and has the power to expand student-athletes' rights beyond what the Congress bill provides. For instance, the Court might consider whether the limitations on student-athletes' ability to profit from their athletic abilities violate their First Amendment rights or if those limitations create an unfair economic imbalance that contravenes the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of equal protection or whether the anti-trust laws were violated.

Read more about how the Supreme Court could ultimately impact the lives of student-athletes all over the country at my Forbes article, and let me know your thoughts about how you think the NIL laws should be address and handled.

That's it for this week's Beyond the Game: Next Gen Brand Insights newsletter! Let me know all of your thoughts about the topics covered, and what I should talk about next.